节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-03-29
难易度:Medium
关键字:obedient, maturity, privilege, consequence
(Music).
Hello, everyone.
My name is Steve.
Thanks for joining us here at Studio Classroom.
Thanks for taking time out of your day to study English with us.
Well, how late is too late for a child to stay out at night?
That's the question we're asking in our VIEWPOINTS feature this month.
No matter if you're a child or a parent, when discussing a curfew, if it sets
off an argument, well, you're not alone.
One of the problems is that an appropriate curfew time depends on so many
things.
So there's really no clear answer about the best time.
Today we continue with a conversation between Sara and her mom.
They're in the midst of ironing out a time they can both agree on.
Let's listen in on their conversation on page 51.
(Music).
Curfews.
All right.
Let's sit down and talk about your views on your curfew.
Thanks for getting in by 11:00 last night.
Your father and I really appreciate it.
You're welcome.
I want to be obedient, and I really do respect your rules.
But I just feel like I don't have much time to hang out with my friends.
I'm so busy with school and homework during the week.
The weekends are about the only time I have to spend with them.
We have no problem with you going out with your friends on Friday and Saturday
nights.
But, why is it so important to stay out past 11 p.m.?
Hi, friends.
We are back in our VIEWPOINTS article today talking again about Curfews.
That's right.
Curfews are the time you have to be home in the evenings when you go out at
night.
And your parents put a curfew on you, or sometimes even your university or
school if you go to a private or boarding school.
Now curfews, when you're talking about parents - that's the situation we're
talking about - are kind of hard to agree upon.
Ryan, what was your curfew, and how did your parents enforce that?
That's a good question.
My curfew used to be 8 o'clock when I was younger.
Then I got into high school, and it became 10 o'clock.
OK. So your curfew... how did your parents make sure that you were home by that
time?
Well, my parents just kind of hoped that I would be home on time; and I usually
was.
I was a good son.
Oh. So you're just... you're good... You're a good son, you're a good child. You
followed the rules.
I hope so.
What about you?
My curfew was always depending on what I was doing, actually.
I didn't have a set time.
If there was a practice at school, or if I was out with friends, or you know,
sometimes even out at a dance, the curfew would be different.
OK. So now did your parents enforce or make sure that you got home on time?
Yes. I had to go tell my mom I was home.
But Ryan, I have a friend from America that his family was... had the funniest
curfew.
His curfew was 11 o'clock.
But they had an alarm clock set, and his parents would go to bed whenever they
wanted to.
And he had to be home to turn the clock off so it wouldn't wake his parents up.
Now if the alarm went off, the parents would wake up, and he was in big trouble.
OK. Parents, this might... this might be a good idea for you to make sure your
children are home on time.
And children, hope that your parents don't do this.
This is a great way to have a curfew and to enforce it.
But right now we're looking at Sara and her mom.
Sara has agreed to be home at 11 o'clock the night before.
Now we're picking up with them the next morning.
And Sara has already asked her mom if they can have a conversation, sit down and
talk about it because she has some points she'd like to bring up.
OK. Now Sara's mom starts by saying: All right. Let's sit down and talk about
your views on your curfew.
OK. So they're going to sit down and have a conversation.
When she says let's sit down and talk about it, that means let's... you know, we
can actually sit, but it also means let's have a good conversation.
Let's take time to listen to each other.
Yeah. Yesterday we saw that Sara wanted to discuss her curfew.
I think she wants it a little bit later than her mom does.
Mmhm. And that's usually what we're looking for - is a curfew just a little bit
later.
Her mom says: We can sit down and talk about it.
But thanks for getting in by 11 o'clock last night.
Your father and I really appreciate it.
OK. So I think, Kaylah, that this is the next day after Sara had the curfew.
So she got home on time, and Sara's mom is saying that they appreciate it.
What is appreciate?
It means they're thankful for, they're grateful, they're glad she did it.
Sara says: You're welcome.
I want to be obedient, and I really do respect your rules.
Now the... Sara is a great daughter.
And I think you were right yesterday.
You said that Sara probably is too good to be true.
Now here I don't know if I would hear a daughter ever say this, but she says
that she is obedient.
What does it mean if you are "obedient"?
That means you're following the rules.
You are obeying... that... that's what "obey" means is to follow the rules.
So you are "obedient." That is the adjective.
OK. So yeah, she says: I want to follow the rules.
And she says: I respect your rules.
She's talking to her mother.
So respecting and following the rules are the same as being obedient.
Exactly, yeah. If... I mean, yeah, she respects rules, she cares about those
rules, so she wants to be obedient.
She says: I just feel like I don't have much time to hang out with my friends.
I'm so busy with school and homework during the week.
And the weekends are about the only time I have to spend with them.
So she's just telling her mom: I have friends. I want to be with them.
OK. Now Sara talks about two things here.
First, she's talking about her spare time or free time and she wants to spend
that with her friends.
But she's also talking about her schoolwork and her homework.
And oftentimes it's difficult for a student to decide which one comes first.
Well, I know as a student, for me, I was not a very good student, and I liked
hanging out with my friends, so.
But be good students.
Get your homework done.
Talk about your schoolwork and your homework.
And then agree on a time that you can be with your friends with your parents.
Yes. Now many of you know that you are not the only person who cares about your
grades in school; your parents care as well.
So decide which one is more important.
Now her mom is great.
She says: We have no problem with you going out with your friends on Friday and
Saturday nights.
Yay! Her mom thinks that's a good idea.
And that's great.
Sometimes not all parents think that.
And there's a reason she says Friday and Saturday nights because there is no
school the next day.
So her mom says she thinks school is more important.
OK. So Friday and Saturday nights are a time to go out.
That's the weekends.
She says: But why is it so important to stay out past 11 p.m.?
You have all of the evening and most of the night, why does 11 matter?
That's true.
And this is a great question because even on the weekends, many of you probably
still have curfews, and you might be asking this question too.
Why is it important for me to stay out past 11 p.m.?
OK, right now let's take a look at this interview.
As a girl, I think it's not appropriate to stay out too late because we will
never know what will happen the next minute in the dark.
And everyone is having a rest, it's hard to call for help.
And we shouldn't make our parents worry about our safety.
I like to go out with friends.
And we can do many interesting things until late at night, and the atmosphere is
great.
I think the deadline is 11 o'clock.
On our way home, we should be alert and stay away from danger.
We can hold something keen in hand to protect ourselves.
It's better to walk quickly or even call someone to take us home.
However late we arrive home, safety is the number one concern.
I think we shouldn't come home too late because most of the crimes are committed
at night.
I think that it's more appropriate and safe to come home before 11 o'clock.
When it comes to the questions about curfews, parents and children should sit
down and discuss.
Children want to be free.
And they think that they know what he or she is doing and can control themselves
well.
In the beginning, they may come home on time.
But with time passing, the time they come home will become later and later from
10 minutes to 30 minutes, even an hour.
So parents should insist on their principles rather than let children have their
own way.
After all, parents have more experience of life.
And they hope to get time to be with their children.
Before their children come home, parents usually can't fall asleep.
So children should cherish the care from their loved ones, and make a balance
between the relationship with family andfriends.